The Golden Cage

A trend, a way of interpreting a space, a challenge: call it which way you want, lately we have seen spaces that once were prisons converted into beautiful buildings that serve many purposes, certainly all luxury related. Swide’s list to the must-see.

Librije’s Hotel is the smallest five-star hotel in the Netherlands and offers its guests what Jonnie en Thérèse describe as the “ultimate hotel experience”. After having restored and renovated the ex-prison of Zwolle, a monumental building from the beginning of the eighteenth century, the hotel opened in 2008.

At Sultanahmet, in an ancient city bounded by the mystic waters of the Golden Horn, Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus, find 65 Istanbul luxury hotel rooms and suites housed in a century-old neoclassical Turkish prison. Four Seasons is just steps from Istanbul’s most important landmarks in Sultanahmet.

Cultural Center, Palencia, Spain

Through a project of conversion of the prison’s complex from 19th century by Exit Architects, formed by Ángel Sevillano and José Tabuyo, this town in Northern Spain has succeeded in creating a contemporary space that enriches its neighborhood without forgetting its history. It is, in fact, used as the headquarters of a new cultural centre, with an auditorium and a library.

As they say, ‘less is more’, and It is definitely the case with this “hotel” in Latvia, built from an ex-KGB prison. No need to use your imagination here, as you will live exactly the oppressive atmosphere that reigned during the regime. Cold, uncomfortable, and rude, the place has no heating and the toilet is made of three holes on the ground. Sometimes luxury can mean depriving yourself of the most important things knowing you can come back to those any time you want…

A former prison that was closed down in 1975, situated on an Island in the centre of Stockholm, today is a modern hotel with newly renovated “cells” and conference suite. Outside the hotel’s entrance, there is a delightful beach and jogging circuits in a culture-historical environment, together with the prison museum.